Those were the Christmas mornings

Everyone remembers his or her Christmas mornings as a child. To wake up early and run downstairs to see what Santa had left around the tree was an exciting time.

At our house the packages were divided into four areas, one for each boy. Our names were neatly printed on our toys or boxes.

My three brothers and I always received toys to put together, such as sets of rubber bricks that would snap together to make buildings or whatever our imaginations made possible.

My favorite gift was an Erector Set by A. C. Gilbert that would let us build cars, windmills, airplanes, Ferris wheels, and lots of mechanical projects. You could use the instruction book or invent something of your own. Small electric motors came with them to power the gear systems.

I have always thought that the Gilbert Erector Sets were the best toys to learn about mechanics. We had three sets that we combined together to make bigger projects.

A.C. Gilbert graduated from Yale Medical School but decided to expand his toy business rather than practice as a doctor. He held 150 invention patents, all to make children happy on Christmas morning.

Picture puzzles were always under the tree. I still love to put pictures puzzles together. What a great feeling to put in the last piece, even if it is 2 in the morning. I also had farm sets that I liked, the barn and animals and all the equipment that could be pulled with a tractor.

At our house Santa seemed to know that we liked to build things. I bet at your house, Santa also knew what you liked. Whatever you remember as a child or as an adult, get ready, for it is about to happen again.